Could a sustainable food delivery app revolutionise the high street?

Embarking on a mission to replace the need for supermarket shopping with a community-centred shopping experience with local businesses at the heart of it, the Barro app promises to deliver a steady stream of support to local communities, powered in part by AI.

Named after the ‘Barrow Boys’ – street sellers of groceries from the times of horse drawn carriages – Barro aims to empower local independent businesses, growers and creatives by providing a reliable and cost-effective delivery service.

Unlike Deliveroo and Uber Eats, Barro offers an ecosystem of local independent businesses, delivered sustainably by a workforce of personal shoppers and a fleet of electric vehicles.

From fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, beverages, and confectionery, to fresh flowers and homeware, Barro is using AI to make shopping local easy, allowing you to order from any number of local businesses in one single order and have everything delivered at the same time.

Founded in 2022, Barro founders Darren and Steven endeavoured to create a platform of support for local independent businesses, upon witnessing their struggle during the COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of community support to help them stay afloat.

Amongst ever increasing competition from large market players and the cost of living crisis, could Barro be the solution independent businesses have been looking for since supermarkets first began to threaten their livelihoods?

Barro’s core values and mission statement suggests that local businesses won’t be the only ones benefiting from their services; promoting a circular economy, creating local jobs for local people, reducing carbon emissions in residential areas through their 100% carbon-neutral deliveries, platforming 100% local independent businesses, while further supporting them by charging 0% commission for their services.

Gemma Wakely, of Booker Flowers & Gifts located on Booker Avenue, Liverpool has already registered her business with Barro:

‘I believe initiatives like Barro are important to our community because it supports local businesses and keeps money in the local economy. It’s not going to cost your business anything, it’s 0% commission, and they do all the logistics side of getting it to the customer for you.’

With the potential for a sustainable shopping revolution on the horizon, Barro are now reaching out to the community to help them make a difference.

The launch of their Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign marks the next step in their journey of reviving the high street and empowering shoppers to invest in their communities, as Co-Founder Steven Ingley shares:

‘Crowdfunding will help us get things off the ground as we launch our Liverpool pilot in the first quarter of 2024 and will make a lasting difference to our community and the local businesses at the heart of them’.

To kickstart their community support efforts, Barro are supporting local food banks by delivering donations for free for every crowdfund donation they receive at £10 or above. Barro Local’s crowdfunding campaign is now live, offering a range of limited-edition merchandise, perks, discounts and rewards until 9th January 2024: https://igg.me/at/barro